Bedroom Studio Isolation in my Condo

Hello all, newbie chic on the board, but i have been doing my studies for a couple months now, searching, reading, etc. I'm actual ready to start my project now, so naturaly i was hoping for some feedback from everyone. hope i did this right, cheers... BACKGROUND I live in the top floor in a Condo I own sharing 1 wall with nice neighbors. I do computer based midi recording, with occasional DI bass/elec guitar. No live drums. I write mostly at night and am concerned with noise leakage from the common wall. I don't play "super loud" or "bump" music, just a comfortably ample listening/mixing level. (will be buying SPL meter) STRUCTURE/LAYOUT: Since I don't know exactly how things were built (1985), I suppose the shared common wall is double leaf: SheetRock>2x4 frame>small space>2x4frame>sheetrock. Which I am guestemating around 8" total space between our walls. This also matches the measurement difference between the inner to my window and theirs, since our units are identical mirrors. The floors are thick carpet and ceiling is popcorn. I have a slight slope to my ceiling, so I plan to sit facing the window, where the slope is the lowest point facing me, and highest behind me. My budget is less than $300 so I plan to buy green glue and put up an additional layer (double) or 2 additional layers (triple) on the 1 shared wall of my studio (since I can't touch their wall). In all cases, I will pull up the carpet and caulk/seal the existing wall, then: A) Green Glue> 3/4"sheetrock -or- B) Green Glue> 1/2" MDF or Soundboard> green glue> 3/4" sheetrock QUESTIONS: 1. Since I share a wall (potentialy ceiling? i dunno) with my neighbors, will it help sound isolation if I do this? 2. Since I am using Green Glue to "adhere" the boards up to my existing wall, do I still need to screw any of the layers? I really don't want to screw or make holes if not neccessary right? 3. Will Option B really add that many db's? is it worth it? 1 case of green glue will do 2 wall applications, so i can go with Option B if it helps more! Thank you all so so so very much. I must admit, when I was first researching, it was all a blur, but slowly, things are sinking in! i'm learning! For acoustics, well.. I have existing foam and foam bass traps (i didn't know!) i'll use for now, until I can build some nice traps... p.s. i'll post pics if anyone wants em... :D

HI, and welcome; first, you need to re-read this http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3231 and at least edit your profile to include a general location (City is close enough, we're not looking for your credit card #'s :wink: ) Second, depending on age of the building it's more typical to find a 2-frame party wall between units; but it's really good to know exactly what you're dealing with before adding layers. For this reason, it would be good to use a hole saw and cut at least a 1" diameter hole in your side of the party wall (tap around til you find a "hollow" sounding part so you don't hit a stud) - then you can look inside the wall with a flashlight, and if you drilled close enough to a stud you can find out if studs are single/deep or if it's a double 2x4 framed wall; one of the commonly available (where are you? This is the main reason for my first request) electronic stud finders will help you drill close to, but not INTO, a stud - the wall is likely insulated, so you will need to "fish around" inside the hole to see if studs are separate on each side of the wall or not - Next item - "green glue" isn't glue at all; it's a Constrained Layer Damping material that seriously improves Transmission Loss in walls, when used per directions. Because of this, you still need to use screws when fastening a second/third layer of drywall. Speaking of which, this is yet another good reason for drilling a hole in your wall - you MUST know whether your wall studs are wood or steel, because different types of screws are used for each. Next thing, but probably not AS important if you REALLY aren't gonna do drums live in there - ceiling and floor; are there upstairs or downstairs neighbors? Hopefully this will get you started; did I mention that you should allow about 10 TIMES as long for this project as you originally think it should take??!? :? Steve

Thanks Steve... sorry about the profile thingy. :oops: I'm in Long Beach, CA in the top floor unit. No one above me, 1 neighbour below, and to the side. I'll poke through and cut a hole to see what's going on between the walls. Yes on screws, but not into studs. Just screw through to the original sheetrock layer? thanks again for your time. it is appreciated. I'm in no hurry... just want to do it right. thanks!

The neighbor below may complicate things a bit - even an electronic drum kit makes quite a bit of impact noise, so you may need some sort of floated riser if you use such a beast - Screws - sorry I wasn't more clear; the screws for subsequent layers of drywall DO need to go into the studs, another good reason for a good studfinder. There are two main types of drywall screws, one has relatively coarse threads and is designed to hold drywall to WOOD studs; the second type has relatively FINE threads and a self-drilling tip, and is designed to hold drywall to METAL studs. The coarse ones won't hold well in metal, and the fine ones will pull out of wood; so it's VITAL that you know which your studs are, as well as where they are, before you start to beef up your wall... Steve

Update... Well. I cut a teeny hole and found that we have double 2x4 framed party walls (approximately 1/2" air space between the double frame), with batting/fluff insulation (doesn't appear sheet-like). 1 leaf of sheetrock on their side, and 1 leaf on mine. In total there is a little over 8" of air space between us! I'm quite happy to see this, and wonder if I need to do any sheetrock/green glue at this time. Before I go through all that work, i might wait for their feedack/complaints (am i evil?). Q- 1. But if I do, will one additional layer of sheetrock be sufficient or 2 layers a must? 2. The 'shared' wall also has 1 a/c outlet and 1 tele port. I don't need to use them, but what's the best way to cover them up properly? Thank you Steve, and thank you to the forum. I love this place... -dawn :D

Just to clarify -- you have one layer of drywall on each wall. A "leaf" can be one layer or multiple layers of something -- as long as there's no air between the layers, they all make up a single leaf. You wrote earlier about using "soundboard." Forget that (brand name "Celotex" I think). It's more expensive than drywall and performs worse than drywall. You cannot completely cover an electrical outlet. It must be kept accessible to be in compliance with code. In fact, if you add a layer of drywall, you will need to use this type of electrical box extender so that the box edge will be flush with the surface of the additional layer. You will also need to seal the outer edge with acoustic sealant -- or, better yet, use Metacaulk Putty Sticks (or equivalent). Your construction situation is pretty typical and certainly better than a "worst case" scenario of single frame. However, to be honest, it isn't terrific -- far from it actually. That wall construction will not offer much in the way of low end isolation. More than likely, your floor will be a bigger problem to address. We haven't talked about that much yet. What's the story with that? However, to be fair, your loudness levels are probably not that great, and I would imagine you could just turn it down a notch or two to satisfy the neighbors... :roll: --Keith :mrgreen:

Thanks for the heads up! I just ordered some metacaulk... and seal off any holes in the outlet box/telecom box. That should be it in sealing off the wall... I just received my ADAM A7's so obviously, i'm enjoying turning them up a bit.. The room that sits directly below mine is the neighbors "kids" room (and they can get rambunctious themselves), so I'm not too worried about the noise downstairs... yet. That is until I save enough for my Sub.. then, we'll be on a different playing ground... Next up is finding a OC 703 place in Southern California so I can build me some bass traps! anyone? Thanks... wlusty...